His Awakening
by AndTheNarratorSays
Summary: The city of New York has never looked so alien to Jace before, but after a chance encounter at Pandemonium, he starts to see strange sights wherever he goes, including a red-headed girl he just can't escape from. A re-telling of CoB with Jace as the MC.


**calm before the storm**

* * *

><p>"You sure you don't want to head over to Pandora's Box instead? I hear there's an awesome local band playing there tonight. An all <em>girl<em> band. Hot rocker chicks. No. I can't tempt you? Wait a minute. Are you even listening to me Jace Fray?"

The tawny-haired boy named Jace blinked a few times, a dazed look settling on his face as his friend impatiently waved a hand in front of his face. He had been staring at a blue-haired guy at the front of the queue they were standing in. The kid had been giving the bouncer a bit of mouth, waving a fake stake in front of the bouncer's eyes in annoyance. The bouncer rolled his eyes in response, waving him in without another word.

"Sorry. What were you babbling on about?" Jace asked mildly, an eyebrow arched in amusement as his friend, Simon, glared at him.

"I was talking about going to place where we can _actually_ have some fun, rather than heading into this sticky, sweaty excuse for a venue. It's full of attention-seeking girls and greedy, slobbering boys. Do you really want to waste a Sunday night in there?" Simon asked.

"Yes. Attention-seeking girls are the best kind for a bored guy like me on a Sunday night. They throw themselves at anyone of the opposite gender who so much as winks at them. Even you could get lucky tonight, Si. Maybe even score that first kiss you've always been looking for, but never found from any of the girls at school," Jace bantered back.

"I'd rather ogle rockstar chicks than desperate ones," Simon retorted grumpily. "Anyway, it seemed to me you were more interested in the male dancers than the female ones. Weren't you staring at that blue-haired dude dressed as a sparkly vampire?"

Jace flushed. He'd thought that Simon hadn't noticed him staring at the strange boy.

"That was different. That was in-queue entertainment. He was arguing with the bouncer. I was just hoping for a fight."

"Whatever you say, Fray." Simon smiled wryly, mock cheering at his win. Jace flicked his ear in retaliation and they all shuffled forwards an inch as the bouncer admitted the next group of teenagers.

* * *

><p>The blue-haired boy grinned to himself as he shifted through the swaying crowds of teenagers. Dry-ice smoke swirled around his make-shift costume, worn with the express purpose of sneaking in the blade secured in his left hand. A little glamour went a long way and it hadn't taken much to make the knife look like a stake, or bend when the bouncer demand he inspect it. Now he was in a room full of eager prey and they were all his for the taking.<p>

It was all too easy these days. Humans were so eager to give up what they should treasure, egged on by friends and the media, the thrill of the unknown and supernatural tantalising to them. He could easily make one of the females - or males - disappear from the crowd and into a dirty alleyway, where their life force could be stolen before they knew what they had gotten themselves into.

He eyed the humans nearest the edges of the dancefloor first, looking for easy pickings. One girl stood out to him in particularly, dressed in a long white dress that wrapped around her tiny body closely. She was small and vibrant, brimming with energy. Two bright green eyes stood out amongst the other human faces, looking like broken pieces of emeralds. Her red locks flowed down her back, curling naturally and perfectly. All her features pulled together made her look like a china doll, flawless and oh so breakable.

She was walking towards him, eyes focused on his so that thoughts of finding other prey evaporated from his mind. His hand tightened on his blade as she sashayed over to him. She winked as she closed the gap between them, before disappearing onwards away from him. He turned and saw what she had in made, his grin widening. A closet. Perfect.

Fingers flexing in anticipation of the kill, the blue-haired boy walked slowly and purposefully behind the girl, eyes locked on her flame curls as they bounced behind her.

* * *

><p>Simon was right, Jace thought to himself, Pandora's Box would have been a better place to hang out tonight.<p>

But it was too late to change their minds. They'd paid the entrance fee - a whole $7 - and were here to stay, at least for now. Jace eyed the girls ruefully, trying to find one that he could dance with, but they all seemed to travel in packs and the music was too loud for him to full back on his charisma and witticisms. At least, that's what he was telling himself. In reality he was bored with the same old same; girls using him like a trophy prize, showing him off to their friends like a pretty puppy.

Simon bopped enthusiastically beside him, although the look on his face was anything but enthusiastic or happy. He nursed a drink in one hand and rapped the bar surface with the other. Feeling sorry for his best friend, Jace turned to tell him that they should leave, but something else caught his eye. The blue-haired guy from before, eyes raptly looking for a face in the crowd.

Jace watched for a moment as a girl, beautiful in an exotic way, yet unattainable way, walked over to the blue-haired teenager. She paused to wink and headed away from him. Jace sighed in frustration; that girl was too good for a boy like that, but he couldn't do anything about it. Or wouldn't. He fell back against the bar, watching as they moved towards a closet together. The door swung shut without drawing any attention to it. Jealousy filled Jace like air, though he couldn't explain why.

He continued to watch the door for a long while, waiting for the boy and girl to reappear with flushed faces and hair out of place. What he didn't expect was for another boy and girl to head towards the closet, identical in nearly every way. Both had black hair as dark as ink and both wore similar outfits. They walked with purpose and fluid grace, not bothering to conceal their movements. It was as if they really believed they wouldn't be seen. Jace snorted, wondering what they'd think when they found the closet occupied, yet as he turned away, he spotted something that made his blood run cold.

The boy held something long and sharp, something that caught the nightclub's lights in a sinister way. Their movements slowed in a perfectly synchronised manner, and the strange pair exchanged heavy looks. With a quick nod, the boy pulled the door open and slid inside, the girl following afterwards.

"Jace?" Simon questioned, waving a hand in front of his friend's face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Knife. That guy had a knife and he went in that closet after the couple." Jace couldn't tear his eyes from the door. He had to do something. "I'm going to stop them."

"What?" Simon exclaimed. "Don't be so stupid. Go and get a bouncer and let them deal with it."

"No. It'll be too late. I need to help," and without another word, Jace walked quickly towards the closet.

* * *

><p>"You're pretty forward for a girl," the blue-haired guy said as they settled into the furthest corner of the room. Wires and broken equipment littered the floor, and they both had to pick their way across carefully. "Normally guys make the first move."<p>

She smiled, before shrugging. "What can I say? Times have changed. Women no longer wait for their Prince Charmings to come racing in on their horses. They have to do things for themselves now, and that means making the first move."

"What's your name?"

"Clarissa."

"That's a beautiful name, bestowed on a beautiful girl." The blue-haired boy moved in closer. He could see beads of sweat on her neck, could see the way her hair was damp underneath and stuck to her flesh. He took a deep breath and her scent overwhelmed him. Cinnamon and vanilla and her own body odour. It was intoxicating. "Aren't you here with anybody else?"

"No. I can take care of myself," she replied in a sure voice. The look on his face told the boy he had insulted her.

"Sorry. Should have guessed. No Prince on horseback for you, right?"

"Right," she nodded. It would be a pleasure to make her fall, he thought. He would show her that she couldn't defend herself from everything, that there were monsters out there that were stronger and faster than her. Monsters who would catch her and drain her veins, still her heart and cause her pain. This would be fun.

They lapsed into silence and he watched her carefully. She moved with a grace he'd never seen in humans before, as though every step had to be taken with care and prepared thoughts. She lifted her hand to brush her hair back and he saw that she wore a bracelet on her wrist to compliment her outfit. He neared her to take a better look, and with a sudden cold realisation he saw it was not a bracelet. It was a complicated series of black markings, carefully drawn onto her skin.

The girl grinned wildly as she saw where he was looking. "What's wrong, Charming?" she asked sweetly.

"You - " he began, his words cut off as she moved with swiftness that took him unawares. She slammed into him, knocking him into the ground. When he looked up, he saw that she had armed herself with knife that had slid through his flesh so quickly he hadn't had time to register it. He looked down now, seeing black liquid ooze over his white shirt. "_Shadowhunter_," he hissed angrily.

"He's all yours Izzy. Alec."

The blue-haired boy glanced around and paled further when he saw two more Shadowhunters emerge from behind a pillar. They were obviously related, both with sleek hair the colour of the darkest midnight. They prowled forwards like cats towards a trapped mouse, eyes burning brightly in the dim room.

* * *

><p>Jace pushed the closet door open quickly, expecting to find carnage and blood all over the floor. What he wasn't expecting was for the room to be empty of life. Frayed wires lay scattered across the floor and smashed speakers were stacked against the wall. There were no people here. No gangsters, no pretty girls, no blue-haired vampire hunters. Just store supplies and an embarrassed Jace. He silently hoped that Simon hadn't gone running to the bouncers. Jace didn't think he could stand the humiliation.<p>

He stepped forwards towards a pillar that stood slap-bang in the middle of the room. He poked his head around, not expecting much, and then yanked it back around as voices began as clearly as though someone had switched a radio on. Two girls and a boy stood over the vampire hunter, who was now bound with wire and looking terrified.

"Are there more of you here tonight?" the red-head was asking in a bored voice, as though she had many more interesting things to be doing, yet was stuck here.

"I'm not exactly going to tell you, am I? You're a dirty Shadowhunter who's going to kill me either way. Why sell out what other demons might be around to cause you trouble?" the blue-haired boy spat back, although his voice shook with fear.

"Tell me, don't tell me. It's all the same," she retorted.

"Clary," the dark-haired boy said in warning.

"Don't be such a bore, Alec. He's clearly not going to tell us anything, why can't I bat him around a bit?" the girl named Clary asked with a pout, before wiping her expression clean and winking at him. "I can lean on him if you want."

Alec and the second girl exchanged humouring looks. Clearly this Clary always acted up. Jace shifted uneasily, not sure what he was going to do now he was here. The people in front of him were clearly out of their minds or high on drugs. Demons and Shadowhunters - whatever they were - did not exist. What was clear to Jace was the fact the blue-haired boy was in imminent danger.

"Look, I won't sell my friends out but I don't have such qualms with dishing the dirt on rogue Shadowhunters. I have news of one, rising up from the grave. The Downworlders are whispering about his return, not all of them but enough to cause a ripple of fear. You give me your oath that I'll be unharmed, I'll tell you everything I know."

Jace watched these Shadowhunters share significant looks. The black-haired girl spoke first. "You know our oath binds us, so we would never give it to you over something so trivial and petty. We may be unable to break our word, but you could easily feed us a lie and walk away unscathed. No deal."

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Izzy." Clary beamed at her friend, before turning back to the boy. She toyed with a blade, flipping it in circles. "No one rises from the grave, demon. Except for vampires, but that's a whole different ball game."

"This Shadowhunter did! He faked his death! He's back and he's looking for the cup. _Your_ cup," the captured boy said desperately.

"That's enough," snapped Clary, clearly tired of this boy and his game. "You're clearly trying to tell us that Valentine is back when we know he's dead."

"He isn't!"

"Stop!" The look on Clary's face was dangerously blank, her eyes narrowed in disgust. "Stop bargaining with us. We are Shadowhunters. We slay demons. You are a demon. This story can't end any other way."

"Kill it Clary," said Izzy with a toss of her hair. "I'm bored of this conversation."

Clary caught her knife again in mid-air and leant towards the blue-haired boy, pulling him up by his binds. She brought her dagger to his throat, but before she could draw the point across the boy's unprotected flesh, Jace leapt towards her, barrelling her into the ground. They both fell into a heap, getting tangled up in each other's limbs. Clary swore in an un-ladylike manner, kicking Jace aside.

In all the chaos, the blue-haired boy had managed to break free of his binds, claws where his hands should be. He snarled viciously and made for Clary, who was in the most vulnerable position. He landed squarely on her chest, raking her cheek with his claws, drawing blood. Droplets splattered across her white dress as Clary lifted a hand to protect her face from a second attack. The demon used this to plunge the blades into her shoulder, and she gasped from pain.

Izzy rushed forwards, a golden whip in her hand that she used to pull the demon from Clary. Jace scrambled out of the way, backing into the corner nearest the door as all hell broke loose. Nobody paid him much attention, too busy subduing the demon to notice where he was. Clary had gotten to her feet, one hand stemming the floor of blood coming from her shoulder, while Alec had pulled out a small cylinder that he was trying to prod Clary with.

"Get off it Alec," she muttered, although there was affection in her voice. "We need to kill the vermin first."

Quick as a lighting strike, Clary plunged her knife into the heart of the demon. Black fluid flooded over her hand, pooling by her feet as the demon crumpled, a look of surprise still on his face. He stilled after a minute's struggle. Alec grabbed Clary unforgivingly once the demon was dead, his cylinder already slashing across her left arm. She gave him a dry look, and Jace decided to use the opportunity to get out of there.

He climbed to his feet, but as he turned around, he walked straight into a furious Izzy Her whip cracked through the air and he found it tighten around his waist. Jace fought against her for a moment, but each movement made the whip bind him stronger and he gave up.

"Where do you think you're going, mundie?" she spat viciously, dragging him over to where Clary and Alec stood.

"Leave him be, Isabelle. He didn't know what he was doing," Clary said in amusement, prodding the place where Jace was bound. Jace felt his cheeks burn hot, even as Isabelle released him. Something about Clary made him feel small and stupid. "What I'd like to know," she continued to no one in particular. "Is how he can see us."

"Good point," Alec said, distaste etched into every inch of his face. "How can you see us? You one of Lilith's children? Or a Child of the Night?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jace replied stiffly. "I do know you just committed murder, right in front of me. The police will be very interested in that when they turn up."

"Normally you need a body for murder investigations," Clary pointed out. Jace glanced at where the body had been, finding nothing but emptiness. His throat closed up and his mouth felt dry. "You're just a mundane, yet you can see us."

"I don't know what a mundane is," Jace retorted in frustration. Before anyone could speak any further, the door to the closet opened up and Simon appeared, followed by a bouncer. "Si?" Jace questioned in amazement.

"Where's the trouble? The guy with the knife?" Simon asked, glancing around the room. Jace realised he couldn't see the Shadowhunters. Clary grinned right at Simon, before winking at Jace.

"Nowhere. They didn't come in here. I must have been seeing things," Jace said with a heavy sigh, hating how Isabelle and Alec laughed coldly behind him. "I'll be right out. Sorry for wasting your time."

* * *

><p>"Seeing monsters where there are none. Very <em>Twilight<em>-esque," Simon teased as they walked through the dark streets later that night.

"I could retort that you're a big girly for referencing _Twilight_ twice in one night," Jace shot back, his voice tired and strained as he replayed the night to himself.

Simon didn't speak for a moment, and Jace thought he had won that round. When he glanced over at Simon though, he could see that his friend was carefully picking his next words. Jace braced himself for whatever was going to come next.

"You looked really spooked," Simon began as they traipsed through the muggy night. "Like you really had seen something. I know you, Jonathan Christopher, and you do not look freaked out for no good reason. The last time you looked like that, my arm was bent at a funny angle. What did you see in Pandemonium?"

"Attention-seeking girls, just like you warned me."

"Jace," Simon said in a serious voice.

"Let's just go to Pandora. I don't want to think about tonight. Ever." Jace kicked an empty can down the street, closing the conversation firmly. Simon looked like he wanted to press matters, but knew better than to do that. "We might just make the headline act if we run," Jace pointed out.

"You're on," Simon grinned, spotting a hidden challenge. "On your marks - "

Simon started running, leaving a cursing Jace behind. Before he started moving, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Jace turned around slowly, sure he was being watched. Two bright yellow eyes sparkled at him from an alleyway across the street. As he moved towards them, they blinked and were gone into the night, leaving Jace feeling more shaken than before.


End file.
